KJV ORIGINAL
But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
But later they changed their minds and forced the male and female servants they had set free to come back and become slaves again.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The people broke their promise to God by forcing the freed slaves back into slavery after initially doing what was right.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during the siege of Jerusalem by Babylon around 588-587 BC. When the Babylonian army temporarily withdrew, the wealthy people of Jerusalem broke their covenant to free Hebrew slaves as required by God's law. They had only freed them during the crisis, hoping God would help them, but enslaved them again when the immediate danger seemed to pass.
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